The night in the old evergreen forest was icy, the cold drifted in with the breeze, the setting sun just a small glimpse before blinking away. Ventus took the lead, marching through the forest forage and brambles, he was uneasily quiet from his usual jokey self. Walking through the the path he had made, Tahliz felt a heavy tension as he followed along. He tried to focus on the patrol, looking out for any sign for bandits, like Captian Glacies had asked for him to do.
He didn't feel like upsetting the captain any further, he doesn't even know what had done to make the guy so disappointed in him to begin with. Tahliz looked once more around the clearing as they walked, before thinking back to before the blizzard. It was just a few days before when Tahliz slowly began to realised the captian watching him with a dissaprovel scowl whenever he trianed in the arena or so dared to practice his archery.
Tahliz couldn't even take a small brake without the captain side eyeing him or even commenting on whatever new technique he needed to work on, instead of lounging about. Sometimes he felt the captain was just disapointed in his very existence, which can be scary for him to find himself thinking about. "I can hear you sighing back there" Ventus stopped and looked back, his tense expression and shoulders relaxed, softened.
"Sorry, just thinking" Tahliz shrugged, he didn't plan to tell Ventus about how his father has been making him feel.
"Anything big?" Ventus raised an eyebrow, continuing to walk towards the edge of the tribes hunting grounds.
"No, just small things?" Tahliz mumbled, looking around, the night forest had a creepy feel to it but it also had a charm. A beauty that Tahliz couldn't help but appreciated for his first patrol.
"Oh, wanna share?" Ventus asked, his gaze scanning the shadowy evergreens. The darkened land stretching off to fade into a thin layer of fog.
"Not really" Tahliz's heart began to race. His mind thinking back to how Ventuses deepened voice had caused him to feel so hot and flustered, how his ordering tone made him feel so tingly.
"Ooo, what's the blush?" Ventus smirked, his tone playful as he teased, "you ain't fawning over a girl are you?".
"What? No!" Tahliz looked away with an embarrassed blush forming, hearing his voice crack in his head over and over. Ventus barked into a laughter, putting his arm over Tahliz's shoulder.
"Aww, so who is she?" Ventus smirked down at him, his eyes glinted in interest.
Tahliz felt his heart flutter, his chest beating as to how close he had gotten. "Why is it effecting me like this!? I don't have a crush!" Tahliz thought stubbornly. "No-one" he pouted, trying to shrug Ventus off.
"No-one, huh? Then what's all this?" Ventus didn't budge, gesturing to Tahliz's pinkened cheeks that burned up.
"Just, stop ok?" Tahliz changed his tone to be harsh, something cried out in protest within him as he did. Ventus just gave a more playful expression, not wanting to back down just yet, making Tahliz groan with an annoyance.
"Fine! But you ain't getting a name" Tahliz bargained, Ventus shrugging with an agreement.
"Fair enough" he sighed and listened in as they continued to walk through the thick clearing, the fog settling in. Tahliz strained his shoulders, Ventus got the hint and lessening the pressure off of his shoulders.
"Well there is this one... well they've been making me feel so... flustered?" Tahliz cringed with how awkwardly he had explained that, it was very new to him but he still felt it wouldn't be that big of a deal.
"Flustered? That could mean a few things" Ventus commented, letting him go and focusing more on surveying the forest as they travled to the border. The walk felt somewhat calming once Tahliz ignored his close call, "why do I care? It's not like I like him!" He repeated but the more he did the more unsure he felt. "Oh don't go all quiet on me now" Ventus grinned back at him, looking over at Tahliz over his shoulder. Shoulders that Tahliz couldn't help but admire before he turned his head away in a pout. Ventus stared at him in thought for a few seconed before smirking then turning back to focus on the patrol.
Tahliz felt a relief when they walked in silence, eventually making it out of the shadowy forest to be met with straight fields of glittering snow in the moonlight. The sight was breathtaking, each snowflake reflected the full moons light over each small bump and turn the endless fields made. A ball of jealousy built up within Tahliz's chest, the fact that this field could be seen from his tribed hunting grounds but they were not to enter the wild plains. The fields are the hunting grounds of the Western tribes, which one exactly, Tahliz couldn't remember.
"Yeah, this is why I always prefer a night patrol, the hunting grounds are just gorgeous in the moonlight" Ventus smiled softly at Tahliz, who only nodded in agreement. "Well, we ain't out here to sight see so let's go look around for some ginger" Ventus stretch and began to walk along the border, keeping surveillance.
"What does ginger look like?" Tahliz asked, figuring to keep an eye out for any bandits as Ventus looks for the ginger root for his cousin.
"You know what a leak looks like?" Ventus asked, looking back at him as he nodded.
"Yeah?".
"That but smaller to be honest" he answered, his gaze going back to any plant that was low to the ground.
"Grate" Tahliz spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "so every other plant".
"No need to be sassy" Ventus muttered though he was more concerned with searching for the ginger root. They tredded through the frozen mud that the bison herd had left behind, they followed the path until Tahliz recognised a scene after an hour of walking in silence. The broken ice from the frozen river cracked and slowly chipped at the large sheet that the shards were trying to follow the stream. The snow was noticeably melting, showing far more of the frozen earth underneath in just two days. Spring was working her magic, with flowers already budding, awaiting for warmer weather to bloom.
"As pretty as the western fields were, we to have our moments of beauty" Tahliz thought outloud, earning a soft chuckle from Ventus as he was scanning the forest's outline.
"Prefer thicker vegetation? Hm?" He commented, though his gaze was flicked on a cluster of weeds. "Well good part about it is that we get a large supply of ginger, good for illnesses, ey?" Ventus smiled brightly at Tahliz, the relief and pure joy was unmistakable.
"We have enough for your cousin and to grow our own" Tahliz noted, offering to carry the large handful that Ventus was digging up.
"We could, know how to grow them? I mean, do they use seeds? Or are they like potatoes?" Ventus questioned, handing Tahliz the last of the ginger root.
"Ask someone who actually knows how to farm, I had a plant once and it died immediately, you know" Tahliz mumbled, looking around for anything out of place or bandits. "Seems far emptier at night then at day" he thought, scanning the moonlit scene.
"Alright, we'll continue the patrol then head home. We just have to follow the northern border then cut through the west side of the forest where we can head back to camp" Ventus gestured his arm to show the loop the border made.
They would have to cross the bridge further up the river to make up to that border, somewhere, where Tahliz hadn't personally been to. He didn't look forward to it either, reluctantly treading after Ventus, slowly walking behind him as they both kept surveillance. The northern part of their hunting grounds includes the valley, it's a small valley made of mainly ice in the winter then halves it's size by summer. It is also home to polar bears, since that valley overlooks the ice sheets of the ocean, the same polar bears that took his mother. He felt like it was only yesterday when he came back after a small hike with his sister, only to return to see the mangled remains of their only parent.
The sight still haunts him, still enters in his worst dreams. He was just starting his thirteenth winter when that happened, the winter when the tribe had taken over for the twins care. Tahliz slowly stumbled behind Ventus, trying to distract himself by keeping an eye out for any signs of bandits or anything that could be out of place, soon making it to the old bridge.